I decided to throw my boyfriend a surprise birthday dinner this year. With celiac and other food allergies in our families, my main challenge was finding a place that would accommodate everyone's needs. Having been to both Sweet27 Cafe and Sweet27 Restaurant, I already knew the food was amazing, and after looking at their website I found they were a suitable choice for all the other aspects I needed to consider. Score!
About a month in advance, I gave the restaurant a call. They put me in touch with Richard who was very personable and incredibly helpful! I filled him in on all of my plans and he had a very "can do" attitude about everything.
Since we were expecting a party of 37, he said they would prefer to do a set menu. The set menu I went with included appetizer and entree then, rather than individual desserts, I got cakes to keep the birthday vibe. The set menu had lot of variety. It included 6-7 options in each category and was very reasonably priced!
Leading up to the event, Richard was very helpful in answering all of my questions about the cakes, menus, decorations, layout, etc. He also came up with the idea of adding a personalized birthday message to the top of the printed menus, which my boyfriend absolutely loved! I made a centerpiece and knew people would be bringing gifts so Richard offered to set up a small side table for those things. Everything seemed to be falling into place so easily.
The day of the party my boyfriend was horribly devastated. He thought everyone had forgotten his birthday. It was perfect!! I knew it was going to make the surprise that much more epic! We found parking about two blocks up. I did my best to distract him as we approached the restaurant so he didn't look in and see anyone. As we walked in the front door, everyone was lined up across the upper level and shouted "SURPRISE". It almost blew us off our feet. I have never seen him stunned speechless. It was absolutely perfect! :)
They obviously weren't able to sit us all at one table, so they had several little table groupings set up. Although we were scattered, it was still intimate and we didn't feel disconnected from anyone. The way the restaurant is set up, with its sunken bar area, dim lighting and rows of mini paper lanterns striping the ceiling, it has such a cozy atmosphere on it's own. This was a huge benefit because it meant I didn't need to do as much decorating. I had sent a friend up earlier with some balloons that were nicely placed on all the tables and there was a long table along the back wall with the cakes, gifts and the centerpiece.
Within minutes of walking in the door our waitress came up and introduced herself. She was incredibly sweet and, with the help of another waitress, did an amazing job keeping up with all of us. Somehow they remained kind, calm and collected while managing to stay on top of everything. Absolutely excellent service!
Drinks were immediately being served and appetizers quickly followed.
The appetizers were amazing, and huge! I tried the Indian Tostadas for the first time, which were absolutely to die for! Such a fiesty, yet crisp and refreshing combination of flavors. I also had a taste of my friends Batata Vada, which was delicious, and had a few pieces of the bf's Fried Calamari, which was out of this world!
Knowing people can be a bit picky, I was worried about some of our guests with the entrees. But, to my surprise, everyone dug right in and was stuffed to the gills.
I ordered the Pork Vindaloo because it's my favorite dish there, but after the party I may have a new favorite. I took a bite of someones Malaysian Penang Chicken and it jumped to the top of my list. I didn't think it could get much spicier than the vindaloo but I was definitely wrong. So much spicy deliciousness! It actually made my eyes sweat (I was definitely not crying). ;)
The cakes were absolutely gorgeous! I was thrilled when I found out they could make a cake from any of their cupcake flavors, however this made choosing insanely difficult because they all sounded amazing. In the end I went with "The Hostess", which was a chocolatey dream layered with cream filling that put Hostess to shame, and "Strawberries & Cream", which was sweet, silken and spectacular! They were so delicious everyone kept asking "are you sure these are gluten free?"
It was truly a magical night! We had a blast and I'm sure most of our guests will be returning customers. Most importantly, my boyfriend had an amazing birthday! He was smiling ear to ear the whole night and for days following. Mission accomplished! :)
When I first decided to plan a surprise party I had anticipated a certain level of stress and prepared myself for the possibility of things going wrong in the process. To my utmost surprise, everything went off without a hitch and I never felt the slightest bit of stress. For that I know I can thank Richard and the staff of Sweet27 for their kindness, flexibility and a job well done! read more